October 14 , 2014

U . S . D ep a r

t m ent of T ra n spo rt a t i on D oc k e t M ana g e m ent S ys t em 1200 N ew Je rsey Ave . , S E W a s h i ng t on, D C 20590 R e: E xe m p t i on R e q ue s t under S e ct i on 333 D ear Si r o r M ada m : P u rsuant t o S ect i on 333 of t he F A A M ode r n i z a t i on and R e fo r m A ct of 20 1 2 ( t he “ R efo r m A ct ” ) and 14 C . F . R . P a r

t 1 1 , BOSH Precision Agriculture ( d b a “ Digital Harvest ” ) , t he ope ra t or of t he Super Swiper U n m anned Ai r c ra f t S ys t em ( “ UAS ” o r “ Super Swiper” ) , se e ks an e xe m p t i on fro m t he Fed e ral Av i a t i on R e g u l a t i ons ( “ F AR s ” ) li s t ed be l ow and d i scussed i n A ppend i x A . Att ached as A ppend i x B i s a su m m a r y of t h i s re q ue s t . T he re q ue s t ed e xe m p t i on wou l d pe rm i t Digital Harvest to operate the ir Super Swipers , w h i ch we i g h under 10 l bs and are produced by a sister company BOSH Technologies , for commercial p re c i s i on a gricultural su rve ys . Wi th the landowner’s permission, th e Super Swiper uses onboard cameras to capture h i g h q ua li t y d i g i t al i m a g es t h a t a re mosaicked into a d i g i t al map of t h e su rve yed a rea. U se of t he Super Swiper fo r a e r i al su rv e ys reduces t he need t o ope ra t e con ven t i onal a i r c ra f

t fo r t he s a m e pu r pose and p ro v i des ve ry h i g h q ua li t y i m a g e ry at a fra ct i on of t he cost. T h ese sa v i n g s resu l t i n enhanced e ff i c i ency and p roduc t i v i t y fo r t he a ffect ed act i v i t i es, as we l l as en v i ron m en t al ben ef i t s . O pe ra t i ons und e r t he e xe m p t i on w il l be sub j e ct t o s t r i ct ope ra t i ng re q u i re m en t s and cond i t i ons t o ens u re a t l ea s t an e q u i va l ent l e vel of s a fe t y t o cu rre n t l y au t ho r i z ed ope ra t i ons us i n g m anned a i r c ra f t and under cond i t i ons as m ay be m od i f i ed by t he F A A as re q u i red b y S ect i on 333 . As desc r i bed m o re f u ll y be l o w , t he re q ue s t ed e xe m p t i on wou l d au t ho r i z e co mm e r c i al ope ra t i ons of a e r i al su rve ys us i ng t h e Super Swiper , w h i ch at 9 . 5 l bs , i s s m all i n s i z e . T he Super Swiper w i l l be ope ra t ed under co n tro ll ed cond i t i o ns at l ow a l t i t ude i n a i rs p ace t h a t i s li m i t ed i n sc o pe, as des c r i bed m o re f u ll y he re i n; i t w il l ha ve a u t o m a t ed co n t rol f e a t u re s, as des c r i bed be l o w . The Super Swiper a l so w il l be ope ra t ed by an i nd i v idual w ho has passed an F A A app ro ved g round t ra i n i ng e xam and a re q u i red t ra i n i ng p ro g ra m fo r t he U AS . In an effort to reduce risk and retain operation quality control, Digital Harvest will not be selling the Super Swiper UAS, but will be offering their surveys as a service. F i na ll y , t he a i rspace i n w h i ch t he UA S wil l ope ra t e w il l be d i sc l o sed t o t he F A A i n ad va n ce. Digital Harvest re spectf u ll y sub m i t s t h a t becau s e t h i s s m a ll , u n m anned a e r i al veh i c l e w ill be used i n li eu of co m p a ra t i v e l y h a z a rdous ope ra t i ons now conduc t ed w i t h f i xed w i ng and ro t a ry con ven t i onal a i r c ra ft , t he F A A can ha ve co n f i den c e t h a t t he op e ra t i ons w i l l ach i e ve at l east an- 2 -

**DIGITAL HARVEST** e q u i va l ent l e vel or g re a t er l e vel o f s a fe t y . A pp roval of t h i s e xe m p t i on wou l d t he reby enhance s a f e t y and f u l f il l t he S ec re t a ry of T ransp o r t a t i on ’ s (t he F A

A A d m i n i s t ra t o r ’ s ) re spons i b ili t i es under S e ct i on 333 ( c) of t he R efo r m A ct t o “ e s t ab li sh re q u i re m e n t s for t he s a f e op e ra t i on of such a i r c ra f

t s ys t e m s i n t he n a t i onal a i rspace s ys t e m . ” T he na m e and ad d ress of t he app li cant a re : **Digital Harvest** Attn: Young Kim P h one : 757 - 968 - 5462 E m a il : youngkim@digital - harvest.net A dd ress: 701 Flag Stone W ay

Suite B Newport News, VA 23608 T he re g u l a t i ons from w h i ch t he e xe m p t i on i s re q u es t ed a re as fo ll o ws: 14 C . F . R . P a rt 21; 14 C . F . R . 4 5 . 23 ( b ) ; 14 C . F . R . 6 1 . 113 ( a ) & ( b ) ; 14 C . F . R . 6 1 . 133 ( a ) ; 14 C . F . R . 9 1 . 7 ( b ) ; 14 C . F . R . 9 1 . 9 ( b )( 2 ) ; 14 C . F . R . 9 1 . 109 ( a ) ; 14 C . F . R . 9 1 . 119; 14 C . F . R . 9 1 . 151 ( a ) ; 14 C . F . R . 9 1 . 203 ( a ) & ( b ) ; 14 C . F . R . 9 1 . 405 ( a ) ; 14 C . F . R . 9 1 . 407 ( a )( 1 ) ; 14 C . F . R . 9 1 . 409 ( a )( 2 ) ; 14 C . F . R . 9 1 . 417 ( a ) . A ppend i x A d i scusses e ach r u l e li s t ed abo ve and e x p l a i ns w h y e xe m p t i ons pu rsua n t t o t he p roposal s e t fo r

t h i n t h i s l e tt e r a re ap p rop r i a t e , p ro v i de an e q u i va l ent l e v el of s a fe t y , and a re i n t he pub li c i n t e res t .

**T H**  **E A** **PP L**  **I C**  **A B**  **L E**  **L EG**  **A L**  **ST A** **N D**  **A R**  **D UNDE**  **R SEC**  **T IO**  **N 333** Digital Harvest su b m i t s t h a t g ra nt of t h i s e xe m p t i on app li ca t i on fo r u se of t he Super Swiper i n p rec i s i on a e r i al su rve ys w i l l ad vance t he C on g re s s i onal m and a t e i n S ect i on 333 of t h e R efo r m A ct t o acce l e ra t e t he i n t roduc t i on of UAS s i n t o t he na t i onal a i rspace s ys t em ( “ NAS ” ) i f i t can be acc o m p li shed s a f e l y . T h i s l aw d i rect s t he S ec re t a ry o f T ra n spo r t a t i on t o con s i der w he t h e r c e rt a i n UAS s m ay ope ra t e s a f e l y i n t he N A S b efo re c o m p l e t i on of t h e r u l e m a k i n g re q u i red u n der S e ct i on 332 of t he R efo r m A ct . I n m a k i ng t h i s d e t e r m i na t i o n , t h e S ec re t a ry i s re q u i red t o de t e rm i ne w h i ch t y pes o f UAS s do n o t c re a t e a ha z a rd t o u s e rs of t he NA S or t he pub li c or pose a t h re a t t o na t i onal secu r i t y i n l i g ht of t he fo ll o wi n g :  T he UAS’ s s i z e, we i g h t , speed, and ope ra t i onal capab ili t y ;  O pe ra t i on of t he UA S i n c l ose p ro x i m i t y t o a i r po r t s and popu l a t ed a reas;  O pe ra t i on of t he UA S w i t h i n v i sual li ne of s i g h t of t he op e ra t o r .- 3 -

**DIGITAL HARVEST** R e fo r m A ct § 333 ( a )( 1 ) . I f t he S ec re t a ry de t e r m i nes t h a t s uch v eh i c l es “m ay ope ra t e s a fe l y i n t he n a t i onal a i rspace s ys t e m , t he S e c re t a ry sha l l es t ab li sh re q u i re m e n t s f or t he s a fe op e ra t i on of such a i r c ra f

t i n t he na ti onal a i rspace s ys t e m . ” I d. §33 3 ( c) . T he Fede ral Av i a t i on A ct e x p ress l y g ra n t s t he F A A t he a u t h o r i t y t o i ssue e xe m p t i ons. T h i s s t a t u t o ry a u t ho r i t y , by i t s t e r m s, i nc l udes e xe m p t i n g c i v i l a i r c ra f t , as t he t e r m i s d ef i ned und e r §40101 of t he A ct , fro m t he re q u i re m ent t h a t a l l c i v i l a i r c ra f t m u s t ha ve a c u rre n t a i r wo rt h i ness ce rt i f i c a t e and t h o se re gu l a t i ons re q u i r i n g co mm e r c i al p il o t s t o op e ra t e a i r c ra f t i n c o mm e rc i al se rv i ce: T he A d m i n i s t ra t o r m ay g rant an e xe m p t i on from a re q u i re m ent of a re g u l a t i on

p resc r i bed under subse ct i on ( a ) o r ( b) of t h i s se ct i on or any of sect i ons 44702 - 44716 of t h i s t i t l e i f t he Ad m i n i s t ra t o r f i n d s t he e xe m p t i on i s i n t he pub li c i n t e res t . T he g ra n t of t he re q ue s t ed e xe m p t i on i s i n t he p u b li c i n t e rest based on t he c l ear d i re ct i on i n S ect i on 333 of t he R efo r m A ct ; t he add i t i onal au t ho r i t y i n t he Fede ral Av i a t i on A ct , a s a m ended; t he s tro n g e q u i va l ent l evel o f s a fe t y su rround i n g t he p roposed ope ra t i ons; and t he s i g n i f i ca n t pub li c ben ef i t , i nc l ud i ng enhanced s a fe t y and c o s t sa v i n g s assoc i a t ed w i t h t rans i t i on i ng t o UAS s for ae r i al s u rvey pho t o g raph y . A cco rd i n g l y , t he a pp li cant respe ctf u ll y re q u es t s t hat t he F A

A g rant t he re q ue s t ed e xe m p t i on w i t hout de l a y . **A i**  **r w**  **o r** **t h**  **i ness**  **o f**  **t he**  **Super Sw iper**  A c r i t i cal e l e m e n t of t he e xe m p t i on app li ca t i on i n vo l ves ev i dence o f t he a i r wo rt h i ness o f t he Super Swiper . Digital Harvest be li e ves t hat i t has sho w n co m p li ance w i t h t he re q u i re m en t s of O rder 813 0 . 34 C , Ai r

wo rt h i ness C e rt i f i c a t i on of U n m anned Ai r c ra f t S ys t e m s and O p t i ona ll y Pil o t ed Ai r c ra ft , i n the C OA approval fo r t he Super Swiper (See COA Certificate: 2013 - ESA- 79) . Aside from the hours recorded under th is COA , the aircraft has a rich history of s uccessful flights within the military domain. It has over 20,000 hours of m ilitary operation without incident . **M anda**  **t ory**  **O per** **a ti**  **ng C**  **ond i**  **t i**  **ons** Gra n t of t he e xe m p t i on t o Digital Harvest w il l be sub j e ct t o t he fo ll o wi ng m anda t o ry cond i t i ons, w h i ch a re based upon op e ra t i n g cond i t i ons s e t fo rt h fo r ope ra t i on of UA S by pub l i c en t i t i es p u rsua n t t o C e rt i f i ca t es of A u t ho r i z a t i on, w i t h add i t i onal re s tr i ct i ons:

- Al l ope ra t i ons t o oc c ur i n Cl ass G a i rsp a ce

- Operations to avoid congested or populated areas, which are depicted in yellow on VFR charts

- Operations to be conducted over private or controlled - access property

- Permission from land owner/controller required before commencing any flight

- Operations to occur during Visual Flight Rules Meteorological Conditions (VMC)

- Aircraft to remain within Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) o VLOS guaranteed with a cylinder of ope ration around operator of 1⁄2 nautical miles (NM) o Cylinder walls may be expanded by additional observer ’s ability to deconflict airspace

- Operations to occur during daylight hours

- Above Ground Level (AGL) altitude to be restricted to 400 feet- 4 -

**DIGITAL HARVEST**

- A ll operations conducted in vicinity of a irport to remain more than 2.5 NM from centerline azimuth of runway centerline measured from runway threshol ds

- Operator will file a NOTAM for each flight

- All required permissions and permits will be obtained from territorial, stat e, county or city jurisdictions, including local law enforcement, fire, or other appropriate governmental agencies **O per** **a t**  **or R**  **eq u**  **i r** **e men**  **t s**  Digital Harvest re spectf u ll y p roposes t h a t ope ra t or re q u i re m en t s shou l d t a k e i n t o account t he cha ract e r i s t i cs of t he pa r t i cu l ar UAS . C e rt a i n U AS s, such as t he Digital Harvest Super Swiper , a re cha ract e r i z ed by a h i g h deg ree of p re - p ro g ra m m ed con t rol and va r i ous b u il t - i n t echn i cal capab ili t i es t hat li m i t t he po t en t i al fo r o pe ra t i on o u t s i de of t he op e ra t i n g c o nd i t i ons set fo rt h abo ve. T he Super Swiper has a s e m i - a u t ono m ous na v i g a t i on and con t rol s ys t e m c o m p r i s e d of a Ground C on t rol S t a t i on (G CS ) and au t o - p il ot s ys t e m . Fl i g h t s can be p re - p ro g ra mm ed w i t h p rec i s i on G P S g u i dance and do not re qu i re hu m an i n t e rven t i on. I n t he c a se of unp l anned e ven t s , t he ope ra t or can allow the aircraft to follow the p re - p ro g ra m m ed e vas i ve m aneu ve rs fro m t he c o n t rol un i t or enable assisted steering for direct control. P re - p ro g ra mm ed maneuvers i nc l ude d i ve rs i on t o t he r i gh t ; i n i t i a t i on of ho l d i ng at p resent pos i t i on; suspens i on of m i ss i o n ; f l y back t o l aunch po i n t ; f l y t o po i nt and ho l d; abo r t m i ss i on and l and; and e m e rg ency po wer c ut o f f and l and ( F li g h t T e rm i na t i on S ys t e m ) . A dd i t i onal au t o m a t ed s a fe t y f unc t i ons and s a fe t y enhanc i ng fe a t u res of t h e Super Swiper i nc l ude t he fo ll o wi n g :

- D etection of lost GPS for 2 seconds will initiate a right hand orbit , allowing the operator t ime t o enter “A ltitude ” control mode . After 20 seconds, if the operator elects to do nothing, the aircraft will begin a n auto land.

- If the auto - pilot detects a lost - link to the GCS for longer than 5 seconds, the aircraft will orbit return to the designated “HOME” point and await reconnection. If link is not established within 60 seconds, the aircraft will enter a pre - programmed auto land.

- A uto - pilot fail ure will result in the aircraft entering into an aerodynamically induced spiral landing for minimal impact speed

- Low power on the aircraft triggers a n alarm on GCS at 12 % (15 minute s left)

- O n - board failsafe limits aircraft descent speed to a maximum of approximately 5 m/s

- Th e aircraft, weighing less than 10 lbs , fully loaded, is constructed of EPP foam, or similar material which is intended to absorb impact energy.

- The motor is driven by a pulse width modulated signal, not an analog signal . G i ven t hese s a fe t y f ea t u res, Digital Harvest p roposes t h a t op e ra t o rs of t he Super Swiper s h ou l d not be re q u i re d t o ho l d a c o mm e r c i al or p r i va t e p il ot ce r t i f i ca t i o n . I n s t ead, ope ra t o rs shou l d be re q u i red t o:

• ha ve succes s f u ll y co m p l e t ed, a t a m i n i m u m , F A A p r i va t e p il ot g round i n s tr u ct i on and passed t he F A A P r i va t e P il ot w r i tt en e xa m i na t i on or F A Arec o g n i z ed e q u i va l en t s; • ha ve co m p l e t ed a t ra i n i ng p ro g ram for op e ra t i on of t he U AS .- 5 -

**DIGITAL HARVEST** Digital Harvest no t es t hat t he F A A has found t hat s a f e t y f a ct o rs pe r m it t ed op e ra t i on of UAS s by ope ra t o rs w i t h t hese q u a li f i ca t i ons i n t he case of ope ra t i ons p u rsua n t t o p ub li c C O As w hen t he m anda t o ry ope ra t i n g co n d i t i ons spec i f i ed abo v e we re p resen t . S ee Fed e ra l Av i a t i on A d m i n i s tra t i o n , N o t i ce N - 8900 . 227, U n m anned Ai rc ra f t S ys t e m s ( UAS ) O p e ra t i onal A pp ro va l , a t 20 - 21 ( Ju l y 30, 201 3 ) . The F A A has t he s t a t u t o ry au t h o r i t y t o g ra n t e xe m p t i ons t o t he re q u i re m e n t s fo r and p r i v il e g es ass o c i a t ed w i t h t h e g ra n t of a i r m en ’ s c e rt i f i ca t es. 4 9 US C §44701 (f ) . I n s u m m a ry , app li cant s e e k s an e xe m p t i on fro m t he F AR s s e t fo r t h abo v e and i n A ppend i x A t o a ll o w co mm e r c i al ope ra t i ons of a s m a l l u n m ann e d veh i c l e conduc t i ng p re c i s i on ae r i al su rve ys. A pp ro val of t he e xe m p t i o n a ll o wi ng c o mm e r c i al o pe ra t i ons of t he Super Swiper fo r p rec i s i on su rvey wo r k wil l enhance s a f e t y by re duc i ng r i s k . C on v en t i o n al ae r i al su rv ey ope ra t i o ns, us i n g j e t o r p i s t on - po we red a i r c ra f t p resent r i s k s assoc i a t ed wi t h v eh i c l es t hat we i g h i n t he ne i g hb o r hood of 5 , 000 t o 7 , 000 l b s , ca r ry l a rg e q ua n t i t i es of f ue l , passe n g e rs , a n d, i n s o m e case s , ca rg o. S uch a i r c ra f t m u s t f l y t o and from t he su rvey l oca t i on. I n con t ra s t , a Super Swiper we i g h i ng l ess t han 10 l bs and po we red by ba tt e r i es e li m i na t es a po rt i on o f t hat r i s k g i ven t he reduced m ass and l a c k of c o m bu s t i b l e f uel ca rr i ed on bo a rd. T h e Super Swiper i s c a rr i ed t o t he s u rvey l oca t i on, not f l o w n t h e re. T he Super Swiper w i l l ca rry no passe n g e r s o r c rew and, t he refo re , w il l not e x pose any i nd i v i dua l s t o t he r i s k s a s soc i a t ed w i t h m anned a i rc ra f t f l i g h t s. A dd i t i ona l l y , no na t i onal secu r i t y i ssue i s ra i sed b y t he g ra n t of t he re q ue s t ed e xe m p t i ons. G i ven t he s i z e, l oad ca rry i ng capac i t y , speed at w h i ch i t ope ra t e s , and t h e f a ct t hat i t ca r r i es no e x p l os i ves or o t h e r da n ge rous m a t e r i a l s, t he Super Swiper poses no t h re a t t o n a t i onal secu r i t y . The ope ra t ion of t he Super Swiper , weighing less t han 10 lbs, for p recision su rveys in acco r dance wi t h t he s tr ict condi t ions ou t lined above, will p r ovide an equivalent level of sa fe t y suppo rt ing t he grant of t he exe m p t ions reques t ed he rein, including exe m p t ing Digital Harvest from t he requi re m en t s of Pa rt 21. The Super Swiper ’s sa t is fact ion of t he c r i t e r ia set fort h in Sect ion 333 of t he Reform Act— size, weigh t , speed, ope ra t ing capabili t ies, lack of p roxi m i t y t o ai r po rt s and popula t ed areas, ope r a t ion wi t hin visual l ine of sight, and na t ional secu r i t y — and i t s showing of an equivalent level of safe t y as it m ay rela t e t o t he requi re m ent for a pilo t ’s license, p rovide m o re t han adequa t e j us t ifica t ion for t he g rant of t he r eques t ed exe m p t ions allowing co mm e r cial ope r a t ion of the Super Swiper in t he co mm e r cial p recision agriculture business. Ve ry t r uly you rs,

**Young Kim** Chief Executive Officer at Digital Harvest 701 Flag Stone W ay, Suite B Newport News, VA 23608 757 - 968 - 5462